Category Archives: In Other News

The Passing of Dolores “Dee” Dunn

From Cincinnati.Com

MISC_Dee Dunn

Dee Dunn.

Dolores A. (nee Donnellon) beloved wife of Thom Dunn. Loving mother of Tricia (Chris) DiTullio, Bridgid (Jeff) Weber, Chris Dunn and Marty (Vicky) Dunn. Cherished grandmother of Evan, Nick, Joe, Samantha, Alison, Aaron, Olivia and Thomas. Dear sister of Mary Lee (Edward) Lutz and Robert (Glenda) Donnellon.

“Dee” graduated from Our Lady of Angels High School, Miami University and Chase Law School. She was Vice President of Editorial for Anderson Publishing Company and served as Law Director for the city of North College Hill for 16 years but her lifelong passion was community theatre – from acting and directing, to costuming.

She passed away on Sunday, February 14th, 2016 at the age of 74.

Memorial Visitation will be held at St. Vivian Church, 7600 Winton Road, Finneytown on Friday, February 19th, 2016, from 9:30 AM until Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CUP (Catholics United for the Poor) 2573 St. Leo Place, Cincinnati, OH, 45225. Condolences at hodappfuneralhome.com –

To see more and sign the online guest book visit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cincinnati/obituary.aspx?n=dolores-dunn&pid=177733009&#sthash.mrAO0wet.LyH0rYgr.dpuf

Preview of UNNECESSARY FARCE in memory of Dee Dunn

The board of The Drama Workshop has decided to have a special ‘pay-what-you-can’ preview for our next production, UNNECESSARY FARCE, on Feb 25, 2016. We are doing this in honor of the our dear friend Dee Dunn, who passed away on Feb 14, 2016. All profits from the evening will be donated in Dee’s name to the charity selected by the Dunn family.

We cannot think of a better way to honor Dee’s memory than to entertain people and to help others at the same time.

We are treating this as a full-up performance evening, including pre-show wine (free, but donations gratefully accepted), intermission snacks (again free, but donations gratefully accepted). The lobby will open at 7 pm, the house at 7:30 pm, and the performance will begin promptly at 8 pm.

The Glenmore Playhouse only seats 96, and we CANNOT exceed that capacity because of fire code regulations. Because of that, only the first 96 people who sign up on Signup Genius http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0949afad23a31-preview will be able to attend. I have reserved 16 seats for the Dunn family, and will release some of those when we have a better headcount from the family.

For those who cannot attend, we look forward to seeing you at one of the regular performances. For that matter, we hope to see you both at this event, and at one of those performances anyhow – with a bunch of friends in tow!

If you want to make a donation but can’t attend, please send a check made out to The Drama Workshop, 3716 Glenmore Avenue, Cheviot, Ohio 45211. Put “Dee Dunn Memorial” in the memo line at the lower left of the check. We’ll make sure that it gets added into the final tally.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, Feb 25, as we honor Dee’s memory by continuing her legacy of theatrical excellence.

Kindest Regards,

Ray Persing
Producer/Director, UNNECESSARY FARCE

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SERIALS! 4-THUNDERDOME 2: Episode 1 Official Results

KTC_Serials 4 logoThe votes have been tallied, and the three shows continuing on to episode 2 are (in alphabetical order):

  • ARCHIE AND THE ASHES by Tracy Hoida
  • HOLD THE SAUSAGE by John Bromels
  • IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE MURDER by Andrew Orneals

They will be joined in the Thunderdome in a fortnight by two newcomers:

  • MY MESSED UPERA by Paul Strickland
    Directed by Paul Strickland & Erika Kate MacDonald
    Cast: Paul Strickland, Lauren Showen, Charlie Roetting, Andy Simpson & Erika Kate MacDonald
  • PIT by Chris Wesselman
    Directed by by Nate Netzley
    Cast: Patrick Phillips, Tracy Connor & Aiden Simms

Alex is a heroin addict just released from rehab and immediately struggles to readjust to the real world. Plagued by a disasterous relationship with his mother, also an addict, and missing the comfort he found in an unlikely friend during treatment, Alex must make the choice to fight for the life he desparately wants.

If your favorite show has been voted off, you still have the chance to resurrect it with your vote in week 4, to see it return for one final episode at the Series Finale!

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Top Stories for January 2016

  1. WFIT_Sign at nightCast Announced for ANYTHING GOES at Warsaw Federal Incline Theater
  2. Production Manager Sought by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
  3. Auditions Announced for THE LAST FIVE YEARS at The Carnegie
  4. 2016-2017 Season Announced by The Carnegie
  5. THE WIZARD OF OZ Review
  6. 2016 Double Season Announcement Event for Cincinnati Landmark Productions
  7. Actor Needed for Billy Flynn in CHICAGO at Warsaw Federal Incline Theater
  8. Auditions Announced for WHO AM I THIS TIME? at Mariemont Players
  9. Auditions Announced for ALICE IN WONDERLAND at CenterStage Players
  10. Auditions Announced for THE FANTASTICKS at The Drama Workshop
  11. Cast Announced for MY WAY at Footlighters Inc.
  12. Auditions Announced for BEDROOM FARCE at Tri-County Players
  13. Associate Stage Manager Sought by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
  14. 2016-2017 Season Announced by Footlighters Inc.
  15. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s 2015-16 Off the Hill Season Continues with World Premiere Adaptation of ANTIGONE
  16. 2016 Season Announced at La Comedia Dinner Theatre
  17. 2016-2017 Season Announced by the Covedale Center and Warsaw Federal Incline Theater
  18. 2016/2017 Season Auditions Announced at Madcap Puppets
  19. Carnegie Announces 2016-2017 Theatre Series
  20. Auditions Announced for OTRimprov
  21. Auditions Announced for 2016-2017 Season at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
  22. Auditions Announced for OKLAHOMA! at Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre
  23. 2016-2017 Season Announced by Beechmont Players
  24. Auditions Announced for GREASE at La Comedia
  25. Auditions Announced for Disney’s MULAN JR. at Queen City Productions

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The Passing of Jack McKee

MISC_Jack McKee

Jack McKee

From Joe Hornbaker

To all my Cincinnati community theatre friends, and everyone who knew and loved Jack McKee. Jack’s wife Vickie asked me to let you know about his funeral services. Visitation is Wednesday, January 27, 5-8 pm at T.P. White Funeral Home, 2050 Beechmont Ave. in Mt. Washington. Memorial Mass on Thursday, January 28 11 am at Chatfield College Chapel, St. Martin,OH (Fayetteville, Brown County). I copied the obituary from Cincinnati.Com below. Please share this information. Thanks.

MCKEE Jack W., beloved husband of Vickie McKee (nee Busse), devoted father of Ian McKee, dear brother of Jim (Bonnie) McKee, son of the late James and Darlene McKee, also survived by many nieces and nephews and other family. Jan. 21, 2016. Age 57 years. Residence Batavia, OH. Jack was a well read and universally respected man leaves behind precious memories with not only his loved ones but those blessed enough to be his friends in his numerous philanthropies, most notably the Cincinnati Opera Guild and the May Festival Chorus. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at Chatfield College Chapel, St. Martin, OH (Fayetteville, Brown County) on Thur. Jan. 28, at 11 AM. Friends may visit at T P WHITE & SONS Funeral Home 2050 Beechmont Ave. Mt. Washington on Wed. from 5-8 PM. Memorials to May Festival Chorus.

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Top Stories and Traffic Information for 2015

MISC_Happy New Year 2016Happy New Year all!

As you can see below, 2015 was a great year for the Behind the Curtain Cincinnati blog.

What Behind the Curtain does, beyond social media, is serve as a portal into our rich and vibrant performing arts scene. Routinely, Behind the Curtain ranks high in google search results.

To keep the momentum going, I need your help. While social media is a great publicity tool, it certainly does not replace the need for publicists to send out press information.

For example, keep in mind that Facebook only pushes your posts out to about 10% of your fans. Liking and sharing the posts important to you can increase their reach dramatically. The same is true for all posts from Behind the Curtain.

In 2015, I posted 1,428 new entries, bringing total entries up to just over 5,000.

Overall traffic:

Total views for 2015 were 262, 441.
This was a 76% increase over 2014.

Total visitors for 2015 were 113,854.
This was an 85% increase over 2014.

Views per visitor: 2.31

MISC_AuditionsPage traffic for 2015:

  1. Auditions 26,354
  2. Featured Stories 24,819
  3. Home page / Archives 18,537
  4. On Stage This Week 3,490
  5. Reviews 2,809
  6. Coming Soon On Stage 2,081
  7. Future Productions 1,909
  8. About 712
  9. Events 668
  10. 2015 Fringe Festival 424

For the top 50 stories listed below, the breakdown by category is:

  • 19 – Auditions
  • 13 – Cast lists
  • 4 – Press releases, Season announcements
  • 3 – Original stories
  • 2 – Awards, Casting Calls, My reviews
  • 1 – Other reviews, Production page

For the top 50 stories listed below, the breakdown by organization is:

  • 6 – Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre
  • 5 – The Carnegie
  • 4 – Broadway in Cincinnati, Covedale Center for the Performing Arts
  • 3 – Cincinnati Music Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, La Comedia Dinner Theatre, Other
  • 2 – Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Dare to Defy Productions, Footlighters, League of Cincinnati Theatres
  • 1 – ACT Cincinnati, Beechmont Players, Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Clifton Players/Untethered Theatre Company, Falcon Theater, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Loveland Stage Company, Northern Kentucky University, Queen City Productions, Skyline, Sunset Players

MISC_Skyline logoTop 50 stories of 2015:

  1. Casting Call for Skyline Chili TV Commercial (Top story for July) 8,932
  2. 2015-2016 Season Announced by Broadway in Cincinnati (Top story for March) 1,182
  3. 2015 League of Cincinnati Theatres Awards (Top story for August) 1,136
  4. Auditions Announced for THE WIZARD OF OZ presented by The Carnegie 1,108
  5. Auditions Announced for 2016 Summer Classic Season at Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre (Top story for November) 1,089
  6. Cast Announced for THE WIZARD OF OZ at The Carnegie (Top story for October) 1,001
  7. Auditions Announced for MARY POPPINS at Cincinnati Music Theatre 854
  8. THE SECRET GARDEN Opens Playhouse in the Park’s 2015-2016 Season, Sept. 5-Oct. 3 827
  9. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s 2015-2016 Mainstage Season Auditions 826
  10. 2014-2015 Orchid Awards (Top story for June) 741
  11. Cincinnati Auditions for Broadway’s THE BOOK OF MORMON on April 11 (Top story for April) 731
  12. St. Xavier High School Grad “Tappy Touring with CINDERELLA” 725
  13. My 2015 Cincy Fringe Show Rankings 718
  14. Auditions Announced for NEXT FALL at Falcon Theatre 701
  15. Cast Announced for COMPANY at The Carnegie (Top story for May) 660
  16. 2016 Season Announced at La Comedia Dinner Theatre 639
  17. Cast Announced for MARY POPPINS at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts 638
  18. The Passing of Blake Bowden (Top story for September) 629
  19. Auditions Announced for AVENUE Q and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS at the Incline Theatre 598
  20. Auditions Announced for Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID at La Comedia 593
  21. Season Auditions Announced for Dare 2 Defy Productions 565
  22. 2015-2016 Season Announced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 554
  23. Cast Announced for BONNIE AND CLYDE at Sunset Players 546
  24. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Review (GYTN) (Top story for February) 540
  25. CCPACast Announced for A CHORUS LINE at Covedale Center 520
  26. Auditions Announced for THE LAST FIVE YEARS at The Carnegie 518
  27. Cast Announced for MARY POPPINS at Cincinnati Music Theatre 509
  28. Cast Announced for RENT at Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre 506
  29. NKU Theatre Announces 2015-2016 Academic Season 494
  30. Auditions Announced for 2016-2017 Season at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Top story for December) 492
  31. Know Theatre Announces the 2015 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Lineup 488
  32. Cast Announced for AVENUE Q at Warsaw Federal Incline Theatre 479
  33. Auditions Announced for WE DUET ALL Performers 478
  34. A CHORUS LINE Review 477
  35. Open Call Auditions in Cincinnati for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Sept. 16 474
  36. Open Casting Call for Movie A CHRISTMAS MELODY 460
  37. Cast Announced for THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The Covedale Center 441
  38. Auditions Announced for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Footlighters 427
  39. Open Auditions Announced for CALCULUS THE MUSICAL Tour at Know Theatre of Cincinnati 422
  40. Auditions Announced for A CHRISTMAS STORY The Musical at La Comedia Dinner Theatre 421
  41. Cast Announced for THE PRODUCERS at Warsaw Federal Incline Theater 418
  42. Tony Award Winner Karen Ziemba Cast in Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s World Premiere of NATIVE GARDENS 412
  43. Auditions Announced for COMPANY at The Carnegie 409
  44. Cincinnati Music Theatre Announces Cast of BIG FISH 406
  45. Cast Announced for HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING at The Footlighters 394
  46. Auditions Announced for DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY at Beechmont Players 388
  47. Cast Announced for INTO THE WOODS by Dare 2 Defy Productions 386
  48. JEKYLL AND HYDE The Musical at Loveland Stage Company 385
    RENT Runs Dec. 2-20 385
  49. Auditions Announced for SHREK The Musical by Queen City Productions 383
  50. LCT Review of ALADDIN JR 378

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